Interview with Quad

Phoenix/DC5

This interview with the Quad group was conducted on IRC before Wired 1998.

When and how did Quad get started?

<Sarix and Skin> Euh, we started in 1995. Then we (Sarix+Skin+Arzamas) went to Bizarre. We were very impressed by what we saw and wanted to build those things ourselves. So Sarix started learning Assembler. And very soon (X'96) we made our first demo, Kamikaze. It rocked! Uhm, not.

<Inopia> :)

<Sagacity> Yeah, right. :)

<Sarix and Skin> <g> We were damn proud of our duck.3ds with real time normals. :)

What projects were you involved in before Quad?

<G-Day> I am thinking... deeply... Before Quad?

<Sarix and Skin> Nothing.

<G-Day> Me neither.

<Sarix and Skin> Maybe some local disk-swapping (stupid warez like every 10-year-old kid).

<Sagacity> I was coding some random games in Pascal.

<Inopia> Outlaw Triad, BlUP!, and Fiction...

<Sagacity> Yes yes yes. :))

<deadline> EFC, a BBS modding group, later also some uncool demos/intros.

<Sarix and Skin> We were young in those days, happy we could do something like Basic coding. ;)

What do you consider your best release (demo/intro/music/gfx/etc.)?

<Sagacity> Erratic, of course :) and that picture at X97 by Necronomicon.

<Skin> Well, we are still improving, so I think we are getting better and better. Our next (Wired) release will be the best... I think/hope.

<G-Day> 'Wired Inspirations' got 3rd at Wired97.. That's the biggest personal success so far.

<Sarix> Focus.

<Inopia> I liked Focus... because it was my first major project... not just some dorky effects slapped together. Our best release will be our next... Finally something we are working on as a group, with design, plans etc.

<Sarix and Skin> Focus is a real group release.

<Sagacity> Indeed, the next release will definitely be our best so far.

<G-Day> 1st places in Holland don't count.

<Inopia> Sarix, of course you like Focus... It was "your" demo... You coded until you were dead.

What did you think of Takeover '98?

<Sarix and Skin> It rocked! TakeOver is/was the best Dutch party. :) Too bad we didn't enter the demo/intro compo.

<Inopia> Stupid organisation let TBL run off with my money. :-(

<G-Day> We had a hard time... But it was worth organizing it... I guess.

<Sagacity> Takeover was fun, but I don't think there was a lot of extremely cool releases.

<G-Day> Sag, because we weren't allowed to enter! ;-)

<deadline> Takeover ruled, however, the timing was kinda bad, because I (and a lot of other people) had exams just before and after Takeover.

<Skin> I (as a Quad organizer) am proud of the Quad members. :) Great job to all! Parties in Holland are always nice and have a nice atmosphere. I've met A LOT ppl at TO98. Only the entries could be better. :)

<Inopia> Yeah... Only Clone Meets Clone was nice... The rest was prut... And we (as organisers) never got our t-shirts... The party itself was perfectly organised, especially because it was done by an "outsider".

Do you think the Dutch scene has a strong future?

<Sagacity> YES! Look at TBL, Superstition, us :), Jello, etc. etc.

<Skin> Difficult to say... A lot of new groups are coming! I try to support them with some lousy advice. :)

<Inopia> Well, there are some new groups, but not enough... The veterans like Jello, TBL and Superstition aren't gonna hold out for ever you know...

<Sarix> Maybe it will be rocking, we will have to see what the new dudes can do.

<G-Day> Definately not comparable with the scandinavian countries.. But we're on the right track.

<samsam> As Quad now has Scandinavian members it will only become more and more awesome.

<Inopia> Samsam! :-)

<Sagacity> Scandinavian members? Who? :)

<G-Day> Samsam... de-activate your ego mode. ;-))

<samsam> ego-mode deactivated!

<Skin> The Dutch demo scene has future, I think Quad will be here for a loooong time.

<Skin> Yeah, Quad is and will be around for a long time.

Many people tried comparing your Erratic intro to recent TBL releases. Do you compare yourselves to TBL often?

<Sagacity> Yes, we do. But not constantly. I mean, we hope to be as popular as they are, and such. But come Wired we will be better. ;))

<Sarix and Skin> Hmz... a) We are close friends. b) We compare ourselves to them because they are good! They had a new 'sort' of 64k's. c) We gonna kick their butts!

<Inopia> We're definately not as good... Our code is always lagging behind... We're doing stuff that TBL did a year ago.

<deadline> But we're improving fast.

<Sarix and Skin> Inoo, ehr, at Wired we gonna kick them big time! :)))

<Inopia> We're gonna catch up though. Jace and Nix are gonna be trepanized. :)

<Sarix and Skin> Well, the comparison is not bad, they are good, we were close and now we are going to try and be better. You got to have a goal! And our goal was being close to Dutch best - TBL.

What's the craziest thing you've done at a demoparty?

<G-Day> Ehr...

<Sarix and Skin> Ehr...?

<Sagacity> Trying to sleep.

<Sarix and Skin> Slept in ONE room with G-Day. :)))))

<G-Day> HEY!

<Sagacity> How could I think of sleeping when Sarix constantly wakes me up. :)

<Sarix> Building Focus without any food or sleep for 3 days. Okay, I had yoghurt. ;)

<Inopia> I have a story. I was with Stryker and bertjuh/TDC... We were smoking a HUGE blunt and were at Lowres98. We went one story up and found out that there was some skate park, where they had this trampoline, so we had some trampoline fun being stoned.

<Sarix and Skin> Nothing really weird. :) Too busy with debugging. :) We are always late with our entries... So not much time to run around naked or so. :)

<Sagacity> Sarix, maybe *you* don't have any time to run around naked. :)

<Sarix> Sagacity, yeah I think so, I am to busy fixing YOUR bugs.

<G-Day> Well... we won the 8-inch diskthrowing compo at Ambience98!

<Sarix> Yeah! Skin was great! Hehehe.

<G-Day> Skin sucked big time... You got us NEGATIVE points man!

<Skin> G-Day, sorry. :) I got a tennis-arm (kournikova!!!).

<G-Day> Skin, right! ;-)

<Inopia> Sarix, remember with focus, when we where screaming our throats sore? :-)

<Sarix> Inoop, grin.

Do you make use of sound/video/code libraries, or make everything yourself?

<Sarix and Skin> Well, at first we built a lot ourselves, except the music player. But know Sagacity is screwing things up and we are using PTC. But SarixVESA will be there FOREVER (dreaming on).

<Sagacity> We used to have our own SarixVesa, but that was *very* buggy. ;) So now we use PTC, which does the job perfectly. And we use MIDAS, IMS, USM for sound (whatever player doesn't screw up the music).

<Inopia> We use PTC for support... So if you have a lousy card PTC will do the job (we hope?)

What things would you like to see in demos this year?

<Sarix and Skin> 80 blobs, whahhaa. :))) Instead of those lame 3 blobs, around 80 or so...

<Sagacity> 80 blobs :))) and of course a pulse-poland/bomb-demo that does *not* contain any 3d.

<Skin> Combined 3d + 2d rocks, not those 3ds players...

<Sarix> Yeah, those 3ds players suck, do something with them. Mix them with 2d effects, or wicked 3d like paddos and stuff.

<Skin> For 3d, get a real life or visit the movies...

<Inopia> Naked women, shadebobs, a huge Quad logo.

<deadline> C64-style-graphics!

<Inopia> I'd like to see some more design... not some lousy 3DS players... Some real cool shit with design... more atmosphere ...

Do you keep very busy outside of the demoscene?

<Inopia> Sex, drugs and punkrock music! (Errrr...)

<Sarix and Skin> Ehr well, think so, normal student life with lots of beer. :)

<G-Day> Outside the demoscene like... doing things that have nothing to do with PCs?

<Sarix> Just no TV... Instead of watching TV I build DEMOS.

<Inopia> Just going out, drinking beer, having fun... like everybody else? Taking your GUS out for dinner and such, watching grass grow...

<Sagacity> Star Trek, The Simpsons, Dr. Katz. :))

<Inopia> Sagacity, space balls, braindead.

<Sagacity> Oh, *of course* braindead, army of darkness, evil dead etc.

<Skin> Meeting other DRUNK quad members :), especially drunk members at exam-parties. :) G-Day puker!

<G-Day> Who, me...? I never puke!!!! ;-)... Certainly not after a few... no... a lot of beers.

<Sarix and Skin> Well me meet a lot in reallife, well not everyone.

<Inopia> It's no fun going out with G-Day... all those women around him. :-)

<G-Day> Inopia, well... sorry about that.

<Sarix and Skin> Sag, Sarix, Skin, G-Day, darkxceed, Necro live in the same town and get some chicks and beer! :)

Do you think diskmags like this one are useful or influential to the demoscene of today?

<Sagacity> I really enjoy diskmags! Fun to read!

<Inopia> Yeah... They get us famous. :-) I only read the coding articles and the charts... maybe some demo reviews...

<Sarix> Yeah, it's a good thing there are diskmags again, and I like to read about CODING. ;)

<Skin> I read all the articles in the mag (not if it has a lousy interface). But I like to read about other sceners and fun stories. :)

<deadline> Diskmags rule, if the code is not as crappy as Insight's (he, Sarix! :))

<Inopia> Deadline, I saw your mode12 interface, so don't say a word!

<Sagacity> I always read the complete mag, even the editorial. :)

<Inopia> I always like the intro effect...?

What's the best thing that's happened to the demoscene in the past year?

<Sagacity> The release of Sunflower!

<Inopia> ANY new group entering the scene. And the pie in Bill Gates' face... Either that or him crashing Windows.

<G-Day> That's the best thing that has happened..

<Sarix> Just all about having PHUN and the release of eRRATIC. ;) *Ego* boost!

<Skin> Every new group is a newly born scene saver! Diskmags are back!!

<G-Day> THE INTERNET! Thanks to the Internet, we can easily get in touch with other groups...

<Sarix and Skin> The more info on the net about groups/scene sites (world wide or local).

<Inopia> Hmm, I agree with Gday maybe... Internet has made the scene more dynamic... A lot more newbies can access the scene now. The communication inside the group is great also... with our personal forum, the FTP and this IRC channel etc... (and Skin mailing his ass off).

<Sarix and Skin> Well, Inet and IRC are old... not something from the last year, but now accessible for more people.

<G-Day> But.. not many sceners were on the net until those past few years right back, a hang on!

<Sagacity> Yes, we seem to be communicating more than we used to.

<deadline> But definitely a lot of 14-year-olds are getting planet-internet accounts now.

Have you tried any of the "new" demoscene platforms, like Win98, Linux, or Java?

<Sarix and Skin> We are currently developing a Win95 system and maybe even a Linux system. But still trying. :) DOS has priority nr.1 and Win is coming fast!!! Very soon our first Win proggie is going to be released: Quad Texture Studio.

<Inopia> Sagacity crashed my Windows a few times, yeah... And I coded "hello world" in Java.

<Sagacity> I'm trying to hack together a Win95 system but it seems to crash Sarix and Inopia's PC (lamers that they are :)) and I'm thinking of Linux, but I haven't got it installed right now. I don't think Linux is useful anyway (for demos that is).

<Inopia> With a little luck our intro will be Windows as well.

<Sarix and Skin> Let's hope so.

<Inopia> qts = QUAD's first graphics tool! Yes, you heard it first in Restless#3! Whee. :)

<Sarix and Skin> Commercial break. The studio YOU would like to have. Now even you can build your own textures for your 64kb. End of commercials. :)

How can people contact Quad or get group info?

<Sarix and Skin> http://www.quad98.net, handle@quad98.net and the usual stuff, news.scene.org/overflow.concepts.nl/csipd.

<Inopia> Look us up at #pixel, #coders and especially #nlcoders.

Well, there's the music, so you know what that means... Our time is up.

<Sarix and Skin> Drat time.

Thanks a bunch for your time. I wish you could've written longer sentences, though, this will be hard to edit. :) But not as hard to edit as the tpolm interview! :)

<Inopia> Before you go I'd like to say that we are the best and most talented demogroup in the world... Just to let you know...

<Sarix and Skin> Okay, some long last sentence, we hope to become the best group or something, but till then we will do some work on our ego, just releasing for the fun!

- Phoenix/DC5